The use of magnetized fasteners and similar impacting tools is well known. Such tools offer the advantages of supporting the fastener being driven so that the fastener need not be steadied or supported relative to a working surface by manual or other means. The use of magnetic impacting tools is especially beneficial when the fasteners to be driven are relatively small and thus not easily supported or aligned by manual means.
Magnetized driving tools not only include hand held hammers, but also include power tool drivers which may be selectively used with pneumatic hammers. Prior to the present development, magnetic drivers used with power tools have had limited operating life expectancies especially in work environments where the tool is being used to drive metallic fasteners into metal surfaces. Conventional magnetic drivers used with power hammers have been manufactured having a driving head which is defined by splitting the impacting surface into two completely separate segments which are oppositely polarized. The segments are spaced from one another by a continuous groove. During use, however, it has been found that the tool impacting surface or a portion of the head adjacent the groove will chip or break after limited usage, as for example, 7,000 to 8,000 impacts. This breakage or failure of the tool apparently occurs due to movement of the spaced impacting segments relative to one another during use.
Attempts have been made to cushion the driving head of magnetic power hammers by filling the slots or openings between the segmented driving surface with various nonmagnetic compounds of plastic or rubber material, however, the driving heads continued to split or fracture after limited use.